Up close and personal photos of marine worms by Alexander Semenov

There’s a reason why we haven’t fully explored the depths of the ocean just yet. These marine worms are probably that reason. Photographer Alexander Semenov just released new macro photos of marine worms called polychaetes, giving us a close look (maybe even too close for comfort) at some species that have yet to be explored by science. Semenov, known for capturing images of underwater life, photographed 222 different worm species that are now being studied and documented by scientists.

Half of the photos were taken near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, specifically at the Lizard Island Research Station, where he stayed for a 2 week conference on polychaetes. The other half of the photos were taken at the White Sea Biological Station in northern Russia, where Semenov is head of the scientific divers team.

If you love his work, you can check out our past posts about him, where he photographed jellyfish and starfish.